My kids have loved their summer and winter camps here! The teachers are highly skilled and I love the variety of media and techniques taught in the classes. My kids have gotten to do watercolors, chalk pastels, india ink, printmaking, sculpture, and more. They are able to use high-quality supplies and the class sizes are good. read more

See all

This review is for their summer camp. The kids eat lunch on the curb. No attempt is made to take them to a playground or a park or even an adjoining grassy area! They can perhaps talk to the church authorities close by for use of their grounds or take them to the end of scenic way (4 minute walk) and use the grassy area there! There was no ice-breaker so the kids shy to talk to each other and there was little or interaction among the kids! Classes start at 9 am. Break is from 10-11 an and lunch is from 12-1 pm and classes end at 3 pm! I will update this review if things change! read more

My daughter did a trial class and had been pushing me to sign her up for a class ever since. She loved the perfect balance of instruction in small classes and freedom/encouragement to create her own piece. The staff is welcoming and so helpful. It's a great small business and we hope to see them grow. read more

My daughter has been taking art classes with Marvegos for more than 5 years and has loved her teachers, the projects and the classes with her fellow students. The highlight is the art show at the end of the school year which beautifully displays the students' work with family and friends invited to attend. I've watched my daughter grow in confidence and I've marveled at how she is able to become so focused in her art. I highly recommend the classes at Marvegos and only wish they'd have a few for adults as well! read more

See all

My daughters have attended Marvegos for the past 3 years. This year, we had a busy fall schedule so I decided to hold off on art class until January. My daughter literally cried when she found out she wasn't going back to Marvegos so we re-enrolled her, her sister, and her brother for the first time. They all love it. Last week when I picked up my 4 year old son from pre-school, he demanded that I take him to his art class that night. I see tremendous progression in their artistic skills and the staff constantly keep activities new and fresh. There is a wide range of media that they work which is also a big plus. I also have to give a super big shout out to the staff as they are always very friendly and seem to connect well with the kids. This isn't a strict "draw this line here, draw that line there" type of art school so my kids can just relax and go to their happy zone at the end of the day with their art as it doesn't feel like another structured activity. Well done Marvegos! read more

Great place for everyone to explore arts, from basic level to medium level. My cousin has been going to his place for more than a year now. And every time I was just amazed how creative they were. The teachers were also very nice and friendly. read more

This is an amazing art school! My 7-year-old daughter Avery loves art/drawing so I was searching for a good place for her to take lessons. An artistic friend told me that I need to be careful with my selection because if the teacher focuses too much on technique it can actually hurt the child's creativity. When I went to an open house event last year, I knew this was the right place the minute I stepped into the studio which is very fun and hip. I just felt like it's the right atmosphere where creativity is nurtured, and my intuition was proven correct when my daughter started to take lessons there. She is a more introverted child who usually gets uncomfortable in group classes but never here. She always enjoyed herself and loves her teacher Paula who always plays nice music during class, what a treat!:-) Highly recommend this place. I hope they will open a studio in the city where I live in the future:-) read more

Our daughter has loved attending Marvegos San Mateo studio classes for more than a year, so we just tried a full week of summer camp. This has been her favorite camp of the year! She has had a great time doing tons of projects in all different mediums and has already asked to go back next summer. The staff is kind and attentive and are accomplished artists with a lot of knowledge to share. We plan to keep coming back for a long time. read more

Just terrific! They use beautiful, quality paper and supplies and employ a wonderful philosophy focused on creativity and the process of making art. Teacher Paula is fantastic and my child looks forward to each session. Highly recommend! read more

My daughter has been taking classes here for the last year. She loves the warm welcoming atmosphere, and I am so impressed with the art that she brings home. Painting with different mediums, sculptures and ceramics. The variety is great. She is always happy to go to art class! read more

My 6-year-old has an affinity for drawing and painting and I wanted to support and grow that interest. Came here for a free intro class, and I really liked how the teacher (Tess) interacted with the kids, and wasn't surprised that he wanted to sign up. He's attended the "Art Exploration" class with teacher Tess for 2 sessions (about 9 weeks each) so far. Class starts promptly a minute or two after the scheduled time. The teacher spends the first 5 minutes or so introducing new techniques and materials. The table and seating for the little kids' class is just the right size. The kids do their own work, while getting a lot of positive encouragement from Tess. And the end product looks very much like "art", usually representational but sometimes abstract. (In fact, we just framed a collage-painting he made.) It's always a very creative experience for him (unlike other art classes I've tried where the kids copy an existing painting and the teacher discreetly touches up their paintings after class). I docked one star because of this: The Art Exploration class is for ages 4-6, but occasionally an older child (who I assume was in the Fine Arts Fundamentals for ages 7-11) would join the class (to avoid having to set up a separate set of the same materials for him), and he would be very disruptive during the introduction/explanation (e.g., interrupting Tess, answering questions she pointedly directed to one of the other kids, etc.). Tess didn't seem to be trying to control him (perhaps she already knew it wouldn't be useful to try), and the next time he joined the manager of the studio happened to be there so I complained. She pulled him aside and spoke to him, to limited effect. I was just about ready to speak directly to him myself (even though there's probably an unwritten rule against reprimanding other people's spawn), but the next session started and they stopped having him join the younger kids. So my suggestion is to stick around for a few minutes for at least the first couple of sessions (even though the studio seems designed to discourage parents from hanging around (there's nowhere to sit and hardly anywhere to stand) to make sure that your child doesn't need you to speak up for them. read more

Inspiring and creative teachers and instructors! In addition to teach the basic techniques, teachers at Marvegos foster kids to think independently and articulate their own thoughts in artistic presentations. read more

Both my 5 and 7 year old love going to Marvegos. They love the freedom the classes provide them and they come away very happy and excited every time. All the teachers are great with kids, in addition to being trained artists. The class sizes are small and each kid gets individual attention and instruction in the fundamentals of art. It is a great program for those who are artistically inclined and those that are not. Just a wonderful experience all around! read more

Summer art camps span the spectrum of quality. For us, determinants of success include enthusiasm and emotional accessibility of staff, ratio of kids to instructors, variety of projects, and a pleasant studio space. Our daughter loved the kid friendly and talented instructors, the small class size, opportunities to work 1:1 to improve technique, and bright studio space. THere's not a lot of outdoor space here, but they make the most of it: chalk drawings on (strip mall) sidewalks and occasional lunchtime visits to the ice cream parlor across the parking lot. We recommend Marvegos in San Mateo without reservation for parents and kids seeking summer art camp options. read more

After a couple of sessions in the Art Exploration class, my energetic and athletic boy announced that art is his favorite activity. He loves his classes at Marvegos, and I love their focus on creativity and independent work. Friends and family are often astonishished by the high artistic level of work he brings home. We think he has a gift... and then we see that all the other kids are doing equally great work. The credit goes to the great teachers and program! read more

This is a review of the Fremont location but the owner, Rita, has so perfected the art (pun-intended) of art classes that I'm sure it applies to all locations. My daughter (12) and son (9) have been coming to lessons for 1.5 years. Daughter is in the Advanced exploration class and is so excited about the different media and methods she is exposed to (have to mention that JoAnn is AMAZING!) Son is in Fine Art Fundimentals and while sometimes he longingly looks over at his sister's creations, he has continued to be challenged in this more structured class. He has been exposed to many types of media and he knows that if there is something he is not excited about, that they will move on to another project in the next few weeks. Teachers are good about challenging the returning students while giving more support to the newbies. Yes - it is expensive but this is NOT arts and crafts and if you have a dedicated, budding artist, it is the place to go. Also want to mention that in this time of high pressure academics, this class has allowed my children to BREATHE. Thanks Marvegos! read more